11 Highest-Paid CEOs in India: Biggest CEO Compensation Packages
From Persistent Systems and HCLTech to Infosys, Hero MotoCorp and TCS, here is a curated list of 11 highest-paid Indian CEOs according to their most recently published remuneration data.
The pay packages of India’s top corporate leaders have reached extraordinary levels, reflecting a growing shift toward performance-linked compensation, equity awards and long-term incentives. While CEO salaries are often discussed as a single figure, the actual compensation can include fixed pay, bonuses, commissions, stock options and other incentives, making the final numbers significantly larger.
FY 2025–26 offered a striking example of this trend. Persistent Systems’ CEO, Sandeep Kalra made a whopping ₹388.58 crore in FY 2025-26, one of the highest CEO compensations in Asia. He was followed by C. Vijayakumar of HCLTech, who earned ₹171.93 crore, and Pawan Munjal of Hero MotoCorp, whose compensation stood at ₹122.31 crore. S. N. Subrahmanyan, Chairman and Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro, was also among the India’s highest-paid corporate executives.
This distinction becomes more obvious in light of the overall landscape of executive pay. The Deloitte India 2026 Executive Performance and Rewards Survey reported that the median pay for professional CEOs was ₹10.5 crore in FY2025-26, up by 5% year on year. It also revealed that almost one-third of CEO pay is paid out through equity-based awards.
So, who were the highest-paid CEOs in India in FY 2025–26, and how much did they earn? Here’s a look at 11 highest paid CEOs and Indian executives who commanded the biggest compensation packages during the year. These names provide an insight into the compensation structure of Indian corporate leadership in industries such as technology, automobiles, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, finance, and manufacturing.
How the CEO Compensation Figures Are Compared?
The following executives are ranked among 15 highest paid CEOs in India on the basis of the most recent compensation details made public in respect of each one of them. The figures may be those of total compensation or compensation as per the reporting and financial year used by the company. Some figures may include salary, commission, bonus, perquisites, or any other form of equity-based benefits. The figures thus cannot be compared in terms of annual cash salary earned. The financial years also vary in case of some of the executives as the most recent annual report available differs in case of different companies. N. Chandrasekaran has been included among business leaders due to his high compensation at Tata Sons.
1. Sandeep Kalra — Persistent Systems
• ₹388.58 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO and Executive Director of Persistent Systems
• Compensation rose 162% year on year
Sandeep Kalra leads the pack when it comes to the highest paid CEOs of India, with Persistent Systems reporting his total remuneration at ₹388.58 crore in FY26. The capitaline records and company annual reports put him on top. He saw an increase of 162% in his remuneration on a year-on-year basis due to performance and equity linked bonuses. Sandeep Kalra has been the guiding force behind the growth of Persistent as a technology services company.
2. C. Vijayakumar — HCLTech
• ₹171.93 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO and Managing Director of HCLTech
• Second-highest figure in the latest list
C. Vijayakumar is the second highest paid CEO in India with FY26 compensation from HCLTech coming up to ₹171.93 crore. This is in line with the trend of performance-based incentives and equity incentives for senior tech executives. C. Vijayakumar has been the CEO of HCLTech since 2016 and is in charge of global technology services and digital consulting businesses of HCLTech. This shows that the variable compensation component can have a significant impact on one’s total compensation.
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3. Pawan Munjal — Hero MotoCorp
• ₹122.31 crore total remuneration in FY26
• Executive Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp
• Among India’s highest-paid automotive leaders
Pawan Munjal is still one of the most highly paid corporate executives in India, having earned ₹122.31 crore from Hero MotoCorp in FY26. Munjal has been involved in helping guide Hero MotoCorp through shifts in customer demands, international expansion, and mobility trends. The amount paid to Munjal is a reflection of his leadership roles and the company’s executive pay scheme. His position ensures that he is well known in the Indian automotive industry, an industry that sometimes pays its executives according to profitability and performance.
4. S. N. Subrahmanyan — Larsen & Toubro
• ₹120.84 crore total remuneration in FY26
• Chairman, CEO and Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro
• One of India’s highest-paid infrastructure leaders
S. N. Subrahmanyan is one of the top earning corporate leaders in India, with Larsen & Toubro stating that he received ₹120.84 crore for FY26. He serves as the chairman and managing director, leading an engineering and infrastructure company in India that includes various businesses like construction, technology, manufacturing, and energy sectors. This demonstrates that high CEO compensation in India is not confined only to tech companies but is also applicable to the infrastructure sector.
5. Salil Parekh — Infosys
• ₹82.60 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO and Managing Director of Infosys
• One of India’s highest-paid IT CEOs
Salil Parekh is one of the highest paid CEOs in the Indian technology industry, with Infosys stating his salary as ₹82.60 crore for FY26. Since 2018, he has been heading the global information technology company and has been responsible for the transformation in the digital sector, clouds, AI, and enterprise technology services. The salary package of Parekh demonstrates the performance-based system, which is being adopted by many large Indian technology firms, with variable pay and long-term incentives forming an integral part.
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6. Ambarish Kenghe — Angel One
• ₹68.23 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO of Angel One
• Package included substantial ESOP-linked compensation
Ambarish Kenghe is one of India’s best-paid CEOs, earning a total compensation package of ₹68.23 crore, according to Angel One, for FY26. This makes his compensation package unique due to the effect that equity and stock options can have on executive compensation packages. Ambarish Kenghe is a CEO at Angel One, which operates in the Indian financial services and retail investment industry where technology, customer acquisition, and innovation of products are crucial for growth. His presence indicates that financial service organizations are capable of paying competitive compensation packages like other companies.
7. Mohit Joshi — Tech Mahindra
• ₹67.58 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO and Managing Director of Tech Mahindra
• Among India’s highest-paid IT leaders
Among the top paid technology CEOs in India is Mohit Joshi, who got ₹67.58 crore from Tech Mahindra in FY26. Joshi became the CEO of the IT service company in 2023 and since then has been concentrating on increasing the company’s growth and its technology transformation strategy. Joshi’s pay package indicates how essential performance and variable components have become in the pay structure of IT company executives in India. Additionally, his designation also suggests the importance accorded to IT companies’ CEOs in India.
8. Rajiv Bajaj — Bajaj Auto
• ₹58.87 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO and Managing Director of Bajaj Auto
• Long-standing leader in India’s automotive sector
Rajiv Bajaj is still considered among the highest-paid CEOs of Indian automotives, receiving ₹58.87 crore in FY26 salary from Bajaj Auto. This CEO has had involvement with the strategy, development of products and internationalization of the firm. The high salary that Rajiv Bajaj receives is due to the scope of Bajaj Auto as a firm, which competes internationally. Bajaj Auto shows that India’s highest-paid CEO list includes both promoters’ companies and managed firms. The FY26 salary of Bajaj is a clear reflection of the automobile industry’s evolving executive pay structure.
9. Nitin Rakesh — Mphasis
• ₹52.70 crore reported remuneration
• CEO and Managing Director of Mphasis
• Long-time leader in global IT services
Nitin Rakesh is one of the paid CEOs of the technology industry in India, whose pay is known to be ₹52.70 crore based on existing figures. Nitin Rakesh is the CEO and Managing Director of Mphasis, an IT firm that offers technology solutions such as cloud computing, digital transformation, and technology services to enterprises across the globe. Rakesh's pay reflects the value placed on the management of highly specialized firms in technology that have customers across the globe.
10. Srinivas Pallia — Wipro
• ₹49.60 crore total remuneration in FY26
• CEO and Managing Director of Wipro
• Pay declined from ₹53.60 crore in FY25
Srinivas Pallia earned a total of ₹49.60 crore as his FY26 compensation as the CEO and managing director of Wipro, as per Wipro’s annual report. The reason for his decreased compensation is the fall in the performance-based compensation component, as his FY25 compensation was ₹53.60 crore. Pallia was appointed as the CEO of Wipro in 2024, and he manages some of the biggest IT services firms in India.
11. K. Krithivasan — TCS
• ₹26.52 crore total remuneration in FY25
• CEO and Managing Director of TCS
• Pay was nearly 330 times median employee salary
Krithivasan K. earned an income of ₹26.52 crore for TCS in FY25, according to the firm's annual report. His total pay comprised of salary, benefits, and a commission worth ₹23 crore. His pay was more than 330 times the median salary of TCS employees, as per the disclosure. Krithivasan was appointed CEO and MD in 2023 after spending many years at TCS. He earns less than many of his counterparts, but his inclusion will give you an idea about executive pay structures.
What Do India’s Top CEO Pay Packages Reveal?
The latest CEO compensation trends demonstrate that the pay regime in India’s corporate world is becoming more and more performance-oriented and equity-linked. With Sandeep Kalra receiving the largest compensation in India at ₹388.58 crore against the ₹10.5 crore median compensation for professional CEOs revealed by Deloitte India, the above figures are strikingly evident.
It is also evident from the above list that the top CEO compensations are from a diverse set of industries. Notably, technology CEOs of Persistent Systems, HCLTech, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Wipro and TCS join CEOs from automobile, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, cement and finance sectors.
Nevertheless, one has to treat the above statistics with caution. In case of India, CEO compensation does not mean the total salary. The commissions, bonuses, stock options, ESOPs, etc. may increase the overall compensation significantly during a certain period. These parameters will continue to remain important while analyzing the highest paid CEOs in India.